Gluten

[1234kids]

Does gluten affect RLS?

[Hidden]

It effects mine. If eat any gluten I will be in a hell of a lot of discomfort that night. Sometimes I get away with a little, but not often.

I had a couple of brownies recently. Cost me a nights sleep and a lot of pain. Not worth it for me.

[Hidden]

Yes and no.

In itself, generally it does not affect RLS.

However, some people suffer from Gluten intolerance or even Celiacs disease, in which case it may affect RLS.

If you suspect that you have gluten intolerance you can get it tested. I believe you can get a gluten tolerance test online.

You could ask your doctor for a test.

[Graham3196]

In some people (like me) gluten is critical. I'm not celiac but gluten just causes a lost nights sleep and a long walk around and around the house. Gluten was the first compound I ommitted when I decided that there was a relationship between RLS and diet. Within a week of totally avoiding gluten I had changed from 2 hours sleep 7 nights a week to something far better. (I can't remember the details but it was like a dream at first) After a while I decided that a stricter diet might help so I adopted the FODMAP diet and that gave me a further great leap forward with reduced RLS.

At the time I went gluten free there were many warnings around saying that if you went gluten free and were not celiac then you would lose the ability to process any gluten and become celiac. I think this was a lot of nonsense and I have never heard of any research supporting this story. Anyway I decided that the risk was worth it if it relieved the RLS.

So based on the small number of people I know of who have tried the same thing I would strongly recommend that you try a gluten free diet immediately and then learn about the FODMAP diet and adopt that as soon as you feel able to.

I have to remind myself and anyone interested that I adopted the FODMAP diet as it was in about 2015. The FODMAP diet has evolved since then as more research identifies more low FODMAP foods. There is no reason to believe that the current FODMAP diet is still good for RLS because it is being developed for irritable bowel syndrome and the developers know nothing about RLS and certainly would not be testing for the effect of changes in the diet on RLS. I can give you more information on the diet I am on if your'e interested.

Cheers

Graham

[Eryl]

Yes, gluten causes inflammation, like sugar and dairy products. If that inflammation is in the nerves, then it could cause rls. If you find that gluten is a problem for you, then you'd probably get relief by following an anti inflammatory diet (you'll find info online). FODMAP, lchf, paleo and Wahls are similar. I've found relief myself from following Wahls loosely.

[ironbrain]

My opinion is that gluten should be avoided as much as trans-fatty acids. Humans cannot digest gluten properly and it goes poorly digested into the bloodstream. The body can manage with a small amount of it, possibly eliminate it, but too much and it's the subject of attack by the autoimmune system.

Man is not designed to be a major grain eater – since early civilization, grain has been something that rulers and governments can grow extensively and cheaply.

People no longer rest after a heart attack, we are no longer too keen on our old hard margarines – I think gluten-laden whole grains may be the next change of mind.

If you have favourite food with a small amount of gluten in it, then you may want to consider eating pineapple, particularly its core, just before or after. There's something in it that helps break down proteins we otherwise cannot.

[ironbrain in reply to ironbrain]

I found this yesterday and thought it interesting:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

What is current knowledge:

• The population of individuals with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) has increased.

• Gluten-related proteins have been considered triggers of NCGS.

• Therefore, enzyme replacement therapy is expected to be effective.

What is new here:

• We designed a new enzyme mixture containing peptidase, semi alkaline protease, deuterolysin, and cysteine protease.

• We screened patients with NCGS and performed a clinical trial using a gluten challenge with the enzyme mixture.

• The new enzyme mixture of protease and peptidase efficiently improved the symptoms of NCGS.

[DicCarlson]

Gluten can transition to Glutamate - the exciting neurotransmitter (compared to GABA the relaxing neurotransmitter) which enhances insomnia in some people.

[Sampsie]

I reduced my gluten recently by 95% (one treat once a weekend at times) and it made a huge difference to my RLS. It also resulted in my headaches almost disappearing. I also cut out soya ( not simultaneously). So 2 definite triggers for me. Bit gutted on the food front but que sera.

[Joolsg]

Everyone is different. I was gluten free for 15 years & it made no difference to my RLS at all. I suggest you try it for 3-6 months & monitor the results. You may find it helps.

[rogerwegner]

I have stopped eating gluten and my RLS is much better . Gluten does affect the brain there is even a condition called Gluten Ataxia. Ataxia was one of my deficits that my stroke left me with along with RLS and Sleep Apnea. I think that they are all connected.